Stowable low profile boat ladder

ABSTRACT

A ladder for a recreational boat has an elongated support which has a rung or step at one end and is pivotally attached to the hull or transom of the boat at the other end so it can be swung downward into or toward the water for use in climbing into the boat and swung upward to rest on the boat hull for stowing. The support is shaped to conform to the contour of the boat hull or transom when stowed.

This application claims the filing date of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/857,002 filed Nov. 7, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed toward boat ladders which are attached to recreational boats for accessing the boat from the water and which can be conveniently swung between a use and a stored or stowed position. In addition, the invention is aimed at providing this type of boat ladder with a very low profile so that when in the stored position it blends in with the aesthetics of the boat without the need for a separate storage compartment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A version of a swingable boat ladder is shown in Garelick U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,940 and comprises a ladder which is normally mounted upright in swiveled brackets alongside the deck of a boat and can be released and swung outward, around and downward into the water for use and later swung back upward for storing.

Another prior art device is U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,146 by Garelick, et al. which illustrates a compactable boat ladder which is pivotally attached to the open end of a chamber in which the ladder is stored when not in use and is withdrawn from the chamber and swung downward from its pivot attachment into the water for use.

These and other boat ladders are usually quite large and somewhat cumbersome and require some significant structural alteration to the boat which detracts from the aesthetics or appearance of the boat and/or require a separate storage compartment when not in use. Some recreational boats do not lend themselves to any significant structural alteration nor any modification to the boat structure which adversely affects the performance or appearance or aesthetics of the boat. Typically, a bass boat which is used for various recreational purposes such as bass fishing or racing, is designed and trimmed down to a size and structure which does not lend itself to any significant alteration. The instant invention is aimed at being particularly useful with boats of this nature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The ladder of this invention comprises a rigid elongated support which has a clevis or bracket with pivot connection at one end for attachment to the hull or transom of a recreational boat, such as a bass boat, with a step or rung at about the other end of the support. The support is shaped to conform generally to the shape or contour of the exterior of the boat hull so when it is swung upward for storage to rest on the boat hull or transom it has a low profile which then has minimal effect on or blends in with the trim appearance of the boat. For use, the rigid support member is swung downward into the water so the user can step on the rung to gain access into the boat. Preferably at the pivoted end of the rigid support there is another step to make it more convenient for the user to step into the boat. Preferably the rigid support is securely but releasably latched when in the stowed or stored position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a blow-apart illustration of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention attached to a boat in the use position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention in the stowed position on a boat;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-section views illustrating alternate construction of embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the invention, comprises a rigid elongated support 10 preferably made out of some suitable metal. At one end 10A support 10 is attached to a generally U-shaped bracket or clevis 11 by a pivot pin 12 extending between the sides of bracket 11 and passing through rigid support 10. A suitable step or ladder rung 13 is attached or formed in some convenient fashion to the remote or distal end 10B of rigid support 10 to enable the user to climb out of the water into the boat. When not being used the ladder can be swung upward about its pivot connection at bracket 11 to a stored or stowed position resting on or close to the boat hull or transom. Bracket 11 has a widened back rear wall 14 containing mounting holes 15 for bolts or the like, not shown, for attaching bracket 11 to the hull or transom of a typical commercially available recreational boat, e.g., a bass boat. On the top and to each side of bracket 11 is a top wall extension 16 extending outward from back wall 14 which provides a second step for accessing the boat from the boat ladder. Treads, not shown, may be attached onto step 16 for precaution against slipping. Some anti-slip material or device is preferably also provided on rung 13.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the boat ladder mounted on a recreational boat 20, shown in broken-line partial outline form, with the ladder extending downward from the boat into the water, not shown, to what is referred to as the use position, i.e., to enable the user to climb into the boat from the water. Bracket or clevis 11 is attached in some convenient and conventional fashion to the hull or transom of boat 20, such as described above, so that rigid support member 10 extends downward from its pivot connection at bracket 11 and step 16 at the pivot end of member 10 is preferably also provided to make it easier for the user to gain access into the boat by stepping from support step 13 at the remote end of the rigid member 10 onto support step 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, when not in use support 10 is swung about its pivot attachment at bracket 11 upward out of the water to a stowed or stored position to rest on or closely adjacent to the hull or transom of boat 20. A feature of the invention is best shown in FIG. 3 illustrating that the contour or arcuate shape of the rigid elongated support 10 is such that when the ladder is stowed it conforms generally to the outer contour or shape of the hull or transom of the recreational boat 20 so that it blends in with the appearance and does not significantly detract from the boat's appearance or operation and there is no need for some type of additional storage compartment.

The elongated rigid support 10 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a single rigid member. FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the rigid support 10 comprises a pair of similar if not identical arcuate parallel members 17 which are joined together in some suitable fashion and have a support step 13 at one end and are pivotally attached to suitable brackets 11 mounted to the boat hull or transom at the other end and preferably have an additional support step 16 at the pivot or bracket end. Typically the elongated rigid support 10 consisting of a single member, or a plurality of members, may be either solid metal rods or hollow tubular members such as illustrated respectively in cross-section in FIGS. 5A and 5B or may be in other cross-section forms.

Referring in particular to FIG. 3, a suitable latch for releasably securing the boat ladder of this invention in place when stowed may be a resilient member 17 attached to the boat having a raised overhang or lip 18. When the ladder is swung upward for stowing, rung 13 presses down on lip 18 to depress lip 18 far enough so that rung 13 rests on or close to the boat hull or transom and lip 18 snaps back into place to hold rung 13 in place. Lip 18 is resilient enough to give way when the ladder is lifted away from the boat hull to be put into use. 

1. A stowable boat ladder, comprising: a) a rigid elongated support; b) said rigid support having a pivot bracket at one end for attachment to a boat hull for pivotally swinging said support between an upward stowed position and a downward use position when said bracket is attached to the boat hull; and c) a step at about the other end of said rigid support.
 2. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 1 further including a latch mounted on the boat for releasably engaging the rigid support in the stowed position.
 3. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 1 further including a step at the bracket end of said rigid support.
 4. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 1 wherein said rigid support is shaped to conform generally to the contour of the exterior of the boat hull when in the stowed position.
 5. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 4 wherein said rigid support comprises a single elongated rigid member.
 6. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 5 wherein said rigid support comprises a solid rod.
 7. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 5 wherein said rigid support comprises a hollow tube.
 8. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 4 wherein said rigid support comprises multiple parallel elongated members.
 9. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 8 wherein said elongated members are solid rods.
 10. A stowable boat ladder as in claim 8 wherein said elongated members are hollow tubes.
 11. A stowable boat ladder comprising: a) a rigid elongated support; b) a bracket for attachment to the hull of a boat; c) said rigid elongated support pivotally attached at about one end to said bracket for swinging said support between a downward use position to an upward stowed position resting on he boat hull when said bracket is attached to a boat; and d) a ladder rung at about the other end of said rigid elongated support.
 12. A stowable boat ladder as described in claim 11 wherein said rigid elongated support is arcuately shaped to conform to the contour of the boat hull when in the stowed position.
 13. A stowable boat ladder as described in claim 11 further including a latch mounted on the boat hull for releasably engaging said support when in the stowed position.
 14. A stowable boat ladder as described in claim 11 further including a step at the bracket end of said support.
 15. A stowable boat ladder as described in claim 11 wherein said rigid elongated support comprises multiple parallel elongated members. 